A Strange Princess

When I wake up I’m no longer in the library. I’m outside under the sun. It’s warm, too warm for spring. I rub my head and try to remember what happened. How did I get outside? Where did that boy go? Where am I?

“Lost?” a voice asks.

“I’m not sure,” I say looking up. I have to do a double take. The voice belonged to a young girl, about twelve, her hair was pink and her eyes a deep blue, she’s extremely striking.

“Do you know where you are?” the girl asks.

“No,” I say, because I don’t and I probably won’t for a while. I don’t see any buildings nearby.

“Come with me,” the girl says. Having no reason not to I follow the girl.

“What’s your name?” I ask.

“You must have hit your head pretty hard back there,” says the girl.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because no one in all of Kandy Land doesn’t know who I am.”

“And what is Kandy Land exactly?” I ask. I must be dreaming, oh God let me be dreaming.

“It’s only the largest country in the world. There are lots of little ones but none of them have any power.”

“Okay so where in Kandy Land are we?”

“We’re almost to the peppermint stick forest,” says the girl.

“Okay I must be dreaming. I’m in Kandy Land, in the Peppermint Forest, with a little girl with pink hair, who won’t tell me her name,” I say out loud rubbing my head.

“My name is Lolly for your information, Princess Lolly.”

“If you’re a princess why are you here alone?”

“Actually…”

“Princess Lolly! What in the name of Mamma Gingersnap do you think you’re doing? Your brother is worried sick about you!” I woman, who I can only suppose to be Lolly’s caretaker, lectures the girl.

“This girl needed help, so I helped her,” says Lolly not sounding even an ounce apologetic. The nurse looks at me for the first time.

“And who might you be?” she asks warily.

“My name is Avery.” I say.

“And is it as the Princess has said it to be?” asks the nurse.

“I seem to have fallen and lost my sense of direction,” I say. If it really is a dream there’s no reason to fight it.

“And where do you come from?”

“There, there, Clareis. There’s no reason to act as though this girl is on trial,” The woman’s attention is totally gone from me now. She turns and curtsies deeply to the man walking behind her.

“Andrew!!” Lolly cries excitedly and begins to cling to the man’s hand.

“I’m sorry your highness, you know how it is when the Princess wonders off. We never know if she left of her own accord or not.”

“And your diligence is appreciated by the crown, however the dazed look in this young woman’s eyes tells me she needs a doctor more then an inquisition right now.”

“Young woman would you tell me your name? I know Clareis just asked you but I was still just out of earshot.” Says the man turning to me. That’s when I notice, he’s not a man. He’s not much older then me, he’s perhaps twenty-three at the most. He’s tall and very handsome, with blond hair and pale blue eyes. Somehow though his coloring was different he bore a distinct likeness to Lolly.

“My name is Avery Kane,” I say.

“Well lady Avery, would you allow me and my sister to take you back to the castle to have your head examined?”

“Sir, I don’t believe I have hurt my head. You see I was in the library at school when a boy did something to a computer and I passed out. I live in New York in the United States. I’ve never heard of Kandy Land and I’ve never heard of a princess named Lolly before. So the only conclusion is that I’m dreaming. So I don’t think I’ll need to go to the castle today.”

“Well there’s a simple way to tell,” says Andrew.

“And what is that?” I ask.

“Fall.” He says.

“Fall?” I ask.

“Yes if you fall in a dream then you wake up in reality.” Says Andrew.

“That’s right! I say. I remember learning that in class.” So I begin to climb the nearest tree. It is very tall and it takes a long time to get to the top but when I do I can see for miles around. It is a beautiful sight. Suddenly I hear Andrew yelling up at me. It takes me a minute to hear his words after I see his lips move.

He says, “I’ll catch you.” I don’t heed his words because before he’ll ever catch me I’ll be awake.

I stand on the tallest branch, take a deep breath and leap.